From the Start
Better outcomes start with early access to quality care. Sunshine Health proudly supports the Agency for Health Care Administration’s (AHCA) From the Start initiative, a statewide effort to improve birth outcomes for Florida Medicaid families. This initiative aligns enhanced services across all managed care plans to make accessing needed care and resources easier from pregnancy through a baby’s first year of life.
AHCA’s Five-Part Maternal Health Initiative Framework
- Reducing Care Gaps: Focuses on early care and continued support through pregnancy and postpartum to increase prenatal and postpartum care to improve birth outcomes.
- Enhancing Access to Services: Expands access to services that support a healthy pregnancy and recovery, such as the coverage of doula visits, telehealth, nutrition support, breast pumps, mobile obstetric care, and non-emergency transportation.
- Increasing Care Options and Coordination for High-Risk Moms: Helps care teams identify high-risk pregnancies early and respond quickly through prenatal risk screening, high-risk prenatal visits, maternal-fetal medicine referrals, behavioral health screening, remote patient monitoring, and targeted care management.
- Pay for Quality: Targets incentives and provider performance strategies to support evidence-based maternal care, including increasing pregnancy notification, first-trimester prenatal care, postpartum follow-up, and provider education.
- Breastfeeding Support: Supports mothers after delivery with continued care and education, including lactation support, breast pump coverage, postpartum depression screening, newborn education, and more
Our Role as a Florida Medicaid Health Plan
As a Florida Medicaid health plan, Sunshine Health supports From the Start by aligning our maternal health programs, provider partnerships, and member supports with AHCA’s statewide goals.
This page brings together maternal health services and supports available through our plan, making it easier for members and providers to find help during pregnancy, postpartum care, and infancy.
Maternal Health Resources
For Members
Find pregnancy, postpartum, and newborn resources, including education, care coordination, and added supports.
Member Maternal Health Resources: Pregnancy Services
For Providers
Access clinical resources, program information, and tools that support coordinated maternal care.
Provider Maternal Health Resources: Maternity Benefits and Member Supports
Learn More About From the Start
Learn more about AHCA’s statewide maternal health efforts and how From the Start helps improve birth outcomes for Florida Medicaid families.
AHCA Maternal Health Information: From the Start is a statewide maternal health initiative led by AHCA through Florida Medicaid and managed care health plans. It aligns enhanced services and supports to create a more coordinated system of care for moms and is live.